Fringe: The Future of Fashion

To be on the fringe of something means you are radical, on the outskirts of the mainstream. If you think about the people who push the boundaries of the ever-evolving fashion industry, it is those who are thinking differently, expanding the circle, moving things forward. One cannot possibly predict the future, but if you are redefining the present you are setting the stage for what comes next.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved fashion. While some kids were collecting baseball cards, I was collecting clothes. But it’s never just been about the materials — I always saw fashion as a way to express myself. Every season the artistry changes and trends come and go, but it’s never stopped being fun for me. As I’ve grown, I’ve realized the amount of power this platform holds as an art form in our world and how underutilized it is for social change. Between promoting sustainable thinking and providing new innovators with a blank slate, the future of fashion — and the betterment of tomorrow’s world — could very well lie in the hands of the industry’s up and coming creatives.

From the models to the designers and the people behind the scenes of issue, every person is an NYU student or alum striving to push the boundaries of fashion. Whether through redefining the industry’s standards of diversity, body image or product development, these new artists eschew the current norms, working every day to refine tomorrow’s clothes.

I would like to thank Anna, Polina and Tatiana, our fierce multimedia team whose aesthetic and creativity help everyone see fashion through a new lens. I also owe thanks to Wen and Easton, the incredibly talented design team who helped create the issue you’re holding right now. I want to thank our models and designers featured here, who inspire us all to tirelessly pursue our dreams. And lastly, I would like to thank you, the reader, for caring about where we go from here.